Buy British Month

So it's Buy British Month time at Cloth Nappy Addicts again. Back in May I didn't get a lot of sales but I think people were mainly looking for nappies & accessories then. Now it's November and people are looking for Christmas presents so my products are selling well. I decided to mainly aim at the stocking filler side of things and so far that's paying off!




The bookmarks are proving really popular, I had to order more bits for them to keep up with demand!

I also listed a new line - fabric covered buttons:



and crocheted hats:




The cufflinks (at just £2.50 + p&p) are more popular than I expected! Had to order more bits for those too.



and the jewellery is proving popular too



Of course if you're not a nappy addict you can still get some of these yourself by visiting my site and requesting a custom item. We also have letter beads in stock to do name or initial bracelets, phone charms & bookmarks.

Birthdays and Beads

So Friday was my nephew's 18th birthday, which meant a trip up to the Lakes for us so we could go out and celebrate with all the family and friends. Unfortunately we got stuck in traffic on the way - who would have thought a 2 1/2 mile tailback from some small roadworks would take an hour and a half to get through. Luckily mum's tatie pot hadn't burnt, not too much anyway! Then it was a quick change of clothes and off to the party we went. Much food, drink and dancing later we got in at 2.30am - oh how nice it is to have babysitters (aka parents). An extremely wet Saturday left us with not many options for entertainment so we headed off to a craft fair at Rheged and let Erin go to soft play. The craft fair marked the start of my Christmas shopping, a book "Ivver Sen" for my dad. Then visits to family all afternoon and the day passed pretty quickly.

We took a different route home today and we saw the effects of the horrendous rain, lots of flooded roads and some Travelodge guests stranded. Anyway we made it to Harrogate and to the Bead Fair. Soon the plan to 'pick up business cards and make notes over what I liked so I could order in the future' went out of the window and shopping ensued! Strings of pretty beads calling my purse, which luckily didn't have too much money in so I didn't go mad. I got some gorgeous turqoise beads that I can't wait to use. The Tuffnell Glass stall was tempting me with their glass bead making kits but I was sensible, I need to wait a while before moving into that type of thing. I just don't have the time at the moment especially as I can't play with hot glass with an 18 month old running around, that's not a good combination.

Time management probably top of the list when it comes to essential skills of a wahm. I tend to do website updating/accounts/other computer stuff during Erin's nap, crafting in the evening after tea and packing orders...err...ok, so that one I do as soon as I can possibly fit it in, often with litle hands 'helping' me.

Well it was just a quick note today...I'm off to play with my new beads.

Fairs, Festivals & Felting

Well first up is the stall pic from my last craft fair! We didn't sell much but plenty of people were interested in the products and took business cards. So many people commented that the felted soaps would make great Christmas presents.

The necklace I'm wearing was made for me by a lady on Cloth Nappy Addicts and that's what got me into felting. I did a course and now I'm hooked on it. More on that later...

This morning I got an interesting email. An eco festival that I'd enquired about have had a last minute cancellation and wanted to know if I could still do it. Well it's an hour and a half from where I live and a bit of a last minute rush but I'm going for it! It's at Lancaster Town Hall for anyone that's interested.

The other thing that's happened this week is I've booked to go on a felted bags course next Saturday. I'm really looking forward to it. Although I already wet felt, I haven't done it with a resist, so far I've only done scarfs, beads and that sort of thing. My daughter loves handbags, even though she's only 17 months old, so I'm hoping to make something for her on the day. Then I'll probably make myself a tester one before making some to sell.

Anyway, I can't really talk so much about felting without showing some pics!

This is a picture of one of the bracelets I've made. It's done by making a square with two layers of fibre (one of each colour). It's then wet with warm soapy water and rolled into a sausage shape. Then the sausage is rolled until it's felted. I then cut it to produce a number of swirly coloured beads.





I've also made a selection of wet felted beads and made a bracelet out of them. Each bead is rolled by hand. I added grey spots to the pink one by needle felting.













Finally, here is a picture of my felted soaps. The soaps were made by Mandy at Fizz 'n' Suds then wet felted by me.













You can find my soaps on my website Crafty 'n' Clothy or on my Folksy site.

Let's talk about green issues!

Since having my daughter I've become so much more aware of the environment and trying to preserve it for future generations. One thing I try really hard with is cutting out all the chemicals we take for granted. Things like shampoo, cleaning products, washing powder. As far as I can see they aren't necessary. Now I'm not saying we should all be dirty, just that there are natural alternatives.

Take laundry for example, I use Soapnuts. They are a natural sustainable product, which can be composted after use. They naturally soften clothes so you don't need a fabric conditioner. Not only can they be used for laundry, they can be used for washing up, you can make a multi-surface cleaner from them and use it as screenwash in your car. How much does it cost? Well, it's actually CHEAPER than washing powder.

That's the other thing I've found about going green, there's this myth that it's expensive. Most of the time it saves money. By buying soapnuts, I don't need to buy washing powder or cleaning products. Similarly by using a Mooncup and/or washable pads rather than buying disposable sanitary pads or tampons also saves money. Okay so you have to spend a bit more this month to buy enough of them but in the long run it saves a small fortune!

Why doesn't everyone start making these changes? Well to be honest with you, I have no idea. I can't understand it, surely everyone wants to save money and help the environment at the same time. I guess they're sceptical..."Does it really work?" is one of the most-asked questions when I do fairs. So, does it?

Well, the Mooncup/Jam Sponge/washable pads one is a definite thumbs up. They work so well and are so much more comfy. I'd never go back to those plasticky disposable things again. As for the soapnuts - they're different. Your washing will not come out of the washer smelling of 'white diamonds' (anyone know what they smell of?) but that's because they are just clean. It's that simple. If you can't get used to that add a bit of bicarbonate of soda and a few drops of a gorgeous essential oil to the softener drawer. These products work, they just don't have huge advertising budgets. Stop listening to the people who pay for your custom and start listening to those who use that money to source a green, natural, cheap product that does the same job!


Oh and for those of you who are wondering about my hair - check out my Virgin Organic Coconut Oil (great intensive hair conditioner) and African Black Soap (great all over bosy & hair soap) over on Folksy!

Folksy

Folksy is the UK equivalent of Etsy. If you haven't heard of either, where have you been?????!!! Anyway, they're both sites showcasing and selling handmade products. So if you're fed up of the mass-produced stuff on our high streets and are looking for something a bit more unique then these are the sites to check out!



Click the pic above to view my store!

Eek! My house is being taken over...

by my craft stuff!

As if it wasn't enough to take up 3 huge shelves & a baby changing unit in the bedroom, a huge desk in the living room, a set of drawers in the kitchen and a big box in Erin's room, I've now got a huge set of shelves in the living room. They go either side of the sofa and will have 3 shelves above the sofa when Ikea get those back in stock. Now I just have to sort out all my craft bits onto the shelves, which is easier said than done.

At the same time, I'm trying to get ready for Eccleshill Art & Craft Fair this Saturday. I have soaps to felt and felted jewellery to finish. I'll also be taking along my eco-friendly toiletries, including organic virgin coconut oil, shea butter & african black soap - yummy goodiness!

Hope to see you there!

Yarn & Fibre Addiction!!!

So I sorted out the living room this week and realised just how much yarn & fibre I have. I have a box full of fibre to try spinning with, a big bag of fibre to felt and a huge basket of yarn. Despite this I ordered some more last night! Oh and forgetting all about the 6 whole fleeces in the shed. It's getting as bad as my cloth nappy addiction!

Speaking of cloth nappies, I'm taking mine on holiday to Morocco - mad???? maybe but I just couldn't bring myself to buy a pack of disposables. I haven't used any since my little girl was about a week old and I'm not starting now. Anyway here's pic of the little cutie ;-)...urm, ok...it's above the post because I can't figure out how to move it!

Organic Fortnight Discounts

To celebrate Organic Fortnight 2008 we have the following on offer:

20% Off Sckoon nappies & wraps
10% Off Sckoon organic cotton toys
10% Off all cloth sanitary pads - Sckoon pads are 100% organic cotton and Happy Mama Original pads have an organic cotton core

Discounts end midnight 20th September 2008

Green Fair, Charity Crochet and Organic Fortnight

So I had a stall at York Green Festival on Sunday and despite the heavy rain in the afternoon it was a wonderful day. It's one we'll definitely be pencilling in for next year. There was lots of interest in cloth nappies, which was great because I love talking nappies! It was nice to be near the acoustic stage as we got to listen to the music as we were serving customers. The only downside of the day was getting rather wet when we were packing up the gazebo in the puring rain.

The other thing I've been doing lately is some charity crochet for Caring Yorkshire Hands. I've only just started crocheting and making little hats, bootees and clothes for premature babies is a great way of learning to follow patterns and donating to a worthwhile cause at the same time. It's encouraging to finish items so quickly too. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone starting out or who has a few minutes each day. If you want to know more about Caring Yorkshire Hands, you can find their blog in my blog list.

Saturday is the start of Organic Fortnight and with it will come a range of offers in store. There will be a discount on all the Sckoon pads and nappies - made from organic cotton. If you want to know more visit Crafty 'n' Clothy.

Upcoming Fairs!

So I'm frantically making lots of stock to take to the fairs I'm attending soon. Coming up on Sunday 31st August we'll be at York Green Festival 2008 in Rowntree Park. It's open from 11am - 5pm and entry is free. Then on Sunday September 7th we're at York Racecourse for the Goddess Fair North.

At the fairs we'll have a range of eco-friendly toiletries, sanitary wear, eco-friendly cleaning products and handmade jewellery. We will also be selling our new range - felted soaps, these are a fab way of using soap as there is no need for a washcloth!

Hope to see you there!

Crafty 'n' Clothy

Oooh my first blog post! I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Hazel and I'm a work at home mum. I run my own business (Crafty 'n' Clothy) while looking after my daughter Erin, currently 16 months old. Yes, it can be a juggling act but I love it.

I really love crafting and try out all sorts; jewellery making, sewing, card making, felting, knitting, crochet, spinning. I sell my jewellery & felted items online and at local craft fairs.

The rest of my business focuses on eco-friendly living. I've been using cloth nappies on my daughter and now sell them along with reusable sanitary wear and eco-friendly toiletries and cleaning products.

Right now I'm getting ready for a couple of fairs, which means I'm busy, busy, busy. I have fibre all over the place and my desk is piled high with various bits and pieces. Hopefully I'll soon have loads of stock made.

Why not check out my store, we ship worldwide!